Employment Pass for Singapore – new guidelines – FocusCore can help you.

It is no secret that you need an Employment Pass EP to work in Singapore. But the guidelines leading to receipt of an EP are to change. It is important you take note, remain informed and obtain the best advice. FocusCore is here to help you. If you are looking to apply for or renew an employment pass contact our immigration team today.

The grouping of higher than expected numbers of passes in certain sectors has spurred the Government to make some changes. The Minister for Manpower, Mr.Lim Swee, published statements recently on changes for the application procedures. These will now include more filters to prevent a too concentrated EP allocation within some companies that he sees as “highly undesirable”. The key driver is the ratio of national to foreign staff numbers. So, qualifications, salary and experience are not the only components to obtaining a pass. There is an overall assessment related to the social and economic implications for Singapore.

The TAFEP, Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices that is also tasked with monitoring this evolution is reported to be contacting 100 companies with EP holding staff, which total more than 50 percent of the company headcount. A bad mark for a company. This could result in passes not being renewed. Already the allocation of passes has seen a significant decline over the last 5 years.

We in FocusCore have national and international staff. We aim to offer world class services for our clients with a national focus, to benefit clients, working knowledgeably and closely with local Government Ministries and commercial contacts.

We help firms and review their HR processes. For example, there are three key criteria for a successful EP application. This should indicate the candidate assists the Government’s objectives for companies in Singapore. The recent guidelines highlight the need for companies described as “Centralised with shared services or facilities, automation, and skills development for
Singaporeans”.

We have already been speaking to clients and reviewing their EP programmes. There is also the Lean Enterprise Development (LED) Scheme. This is a pilot plan running over 2 years for SMEs seeking to employ staff from overseas. It offers more flexibility on the application process along with additional guidelines to be fulfilled in year 3.

As a reminder here are the introductory elements for an EP.

An EP is for Foreign professionals with a job offer in Singapore who meet the eligibility criteria.

An employer or appointed employment agent needs to apply on behalf of the candidate.

The fixed monthly salary should be at least $3,300 (more experienced candidates should show higher salaries).

The duration of the pass is for first-time candidates is up to 2 years and renewals are for up to 3 years.

Contact us for more information and let us help you with all PASS APPLICATIONS, checking and submitting the required documents for your company in Singapore.